Freightquote

Interstate 435 and State Line Road
South Kansas City, MO

Investment: $69.2 million for real property and $15 million for personal—total of $84.2 million
Number of New Jobs: 960 immediate, 200 additional expected hires over next few years
Number of Retained Jobs: 1100

With an opportunity to start from scratch and design a custom-fit work environment that matches their corporate culture, Freightquote enthusiastically made the move to Kansas City, Missouri and into a new 208,000 square foot building designed specifically for their needs and with future growth in mind. This new construction project, with an extremely short timeline of 12 months for design and construction, came in ahead of schedule and under budget.

The main objective was to design an environment that was professional, conservative, and reflective of a company with good fiscal management while incorporating an industrial loft or warehouse appearance to align with their laid-back culture and shipping business. In addition to meeting Freightquote’s programmatic needs, the building was able to incorporate many sustainable and health-promoting principles that encourage productivity and employee well-being. These principles include open floor plans with sweeping exterior views, exterior gathering spaces, indoor and outdoor bike storage, shower facilities, and a dynamic and airy stairway encouraging employees to take the stairs instead of the elevator. The intent was to create a new corporate headquarters building with room for growth that achieves success within a modest budget, with a satisfied client and a work environment that matches their corporate culture.

Employment Increases, Minority Hiring
During the course of construction alone, over 141,843 field labor hours were employed. The goal for MBE and WBE utilization for construction was set at 14% minority and 10% women, the achieved levels exceeded the goals and totaled over $7 million! The goals for MBE and WBE utilization for professional services of 14% for minority and 8% for women were not only also met, but the 8% for women was actually exceeded by over 300%.

Since the completion of the project, Freightquote has brought 1,170 new jobs into the Kansas City market and Freightquote has projected their growth to exceed 1,800 employees. Truly here for the long haul, Freightquote is proud to have established their roots in Kansas City and will continue to be a strong partner with the community.

Improvement to Neighborhood and/or Business District:
The effects of the development went beyond the footprint of the building and provided public infrastructure for the adjacent areas. Infrastructure improvements included the addition of an additional left turn lane, new traffic signal installation, sidewalks and crosswalks along Carondelet Drive. The intersection of Carondelet Drive and State Line Road was also significantly improved with traffic signal upgrades, an additional left turn lane, sidewalks, and crosswalks. Determined to be a good steward from the beginning, Freightquote also provided substantial landscaping along the southern end of the property to provide a buffer between the existing residential neighbors and the Freightquote property.

Project Assistance

The State of Missouri assisted the project by providing nearly $27.8 million in assistance through the Quality Jobs, MO BUILD Bonding, Sales tax exemption of construction materials, and employee recruitment & referral programs. The City of Kansas City MO assisted by providing $20.7 million in Chapter 100 Tax abatement on the building and personal property, and Tax Increment Financing “TIF” to capture 50% of the Economic Activity Taxes “EATS”.